Farmstays

If you want a holiday with a difference - or, indeed, a holiday that makes a difference - have you considered a farmstay? The experience of staying on a real working farm gives you an insight into a different way of life, a way of life which you are helping to maintain, and often there are opportunities to get your hands dirty and help out. WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms offers the chance to help out on a huge range organic farms in the UK, Europe, doing your bit for the environment, enjoying an authentic agricultural experience and eating freshly grown food. There are of course plenty of other farmstay possibilities - some of which offer impressive levels of comfort and even luxury, and Anouk van den Eijnde picks out some of Europe's best farmstays on our blog.

8 award winning renovated stone cottages with wood burning stoves and luxurious bedrooms overlooking the open fields of a working farm managed for wildlife and ecology and the sea. Peaceful and relaxing with spectacular coastal walks.

More Farmstays

Four and five star converted barns in the heart of a splendid 220 acre organic farm. The perfect base for an activity packed holiday, exploring the Brecon Breacons National Park or a stress free mini-break.

Church farm Holiday Cottages are cosy, well-equipped, eco-friendly cottages which have been award the Environmental Quality Mark. Situated at the head of a beautiful, quiet dale. Walk from the door on to numerous trails & footpaths.

Small, family run holiday park in North Cornwall. Rural, wooded site with timber lodges, camping, camping pods, Wigwams. Very little light pollution so the stars are great! David Bellamy Gold Award, On The Camel cycle trail for family days out.

Rooms: 8 cabins 4 lodges 1 caravan 3 eco pods 4 wigwams, 28 pitches

Price:

From £12.50 per night for tents to £195 for static caravan hire in low season

Enjoy a rural idyll in an environmentally recognised farm cottage set in the glorious Peak District. Wild orchids thrive in the peaceful ancient woodland where you can cycle, walk or fish. A converted barn makes this a perfect venue for a wedding.

Pollaughan Cottages, a home from home, has been lovingly restored with both children and the environment in mind. The relaxing little farmstead, near sandy beaches, provides guests with round the clock interaction with nature and wildlife.

Luxurious self-catering log cabins and gorgeous glamping pods with stunning views from your pillow. Explore the Peak District countryside, watch the wildlife, unwind under the stars in the Swedish log-fired hot tub or relax in the sauna.

Five secluded, peaceful rural cottages with lovely log fires in three and a half acres of land, close to historic Bath, Wells, Glastonbury and Bristol. Enjoy relaxing in the hot tub and sauna. Includes free WiFi and gym.

Spend a week in this stunning valley farm nestled in the foothills of the Serra de Estrela mountain range of Central Portugal. Practice yoga daily, walk in forests, swim in rivers, breath mountain air, eat deliciously and sleep deeply. Open to all.

Rooms: 18: 2 double rooms, 7 singles in 2 cottages, 4 Soulpads

Price:

From 800€ per week including 3 vegetarian meals a day, morning and afternoon yoga classes, and a massage or acupuncture treatment.

A fabulous gathering of self-catering eco lodges above a beautiful beach in Cornwall, full service with a spa, indoor pool, wildlife centre and restaurant. Perfect for all the family and fully accessible. Like a five star hotel but without the price.

Rooms: Over 80 self contained chalets and residences

Price:

From £599 for low season short break From £1039 for mid season short break From£1909 for peak season short break Prices for Residence 3 Bed in 2016

Fantastically located on the south side of a valley that stretches from Portesham and Upwey, this luxury campsite provides acres of beautiful countryside as your playground. Also within easy walking distance of numerous beaches.

A former Victorian Vicarage offering 5-star accommodation and a licensed restaurant. It's in the hills above Newtown so expect peaceful relaxation with views that stretch for miles, plus home-grown produce, hens and local organic free-range meats.

Escape into the country at this lovely Tudor farmhouse on a working organic farm offering delightful, individual accommodation decorated to a high standard, all with en-suite facilities. Dine on delicious home-cooked, locally produced food.

A range of self-catering cottages in the shadow of Glastonbury Tor, sleeping from two to six with a total capacity of 37, with a fabulous heated indoor pool and steamroom. Enjoy peace and tranquility in an area steeped in history, myth and legend,

Award winning self catering accommodation and eco wedding venue on an organic dairy farm. Order local produce when you book and it will be ready and waiting for your arrival. Wood-fired hot tub and barrel sauna add extra fun to the stay.

Enjoy luxury & sleek contemporary design safe in the knowledge that your self-catered holiday cottage is leading the way in sustainability. Perfect for families, with woodland and play areas, Mazzard Farm is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

A five-star holiday cottage near York with six en-suite bedrooms (king size beds), individually designed bathrooms and a private garden, perfect for dining al fresco. Short breaks and group dining for 12 guests are available year round.

A beautiful farmhouse with exposed beams, an inglenook fireplace, comfortable beds, wonderful showers & plentiful breakfasts. Enjoy mountain views and a variety of birds. A great place to relax, unwind and escape.

8 award winning renovated stone cottages with wood burning stoves and luxurious bedrooms overlooking the open fields of a working farm managed for wildlife and ecology and the sea. Peaceful and relaxing with spectacular coastal walks.

A special homely farming resort in the heart of Provence with delicious home made cooking fresh from the local gardens. Enjoy a relaxing and peaceful holiday in this Provençal templar estate with lovely forest walks and beautiful vineyards.

Two five-star lodges, each sleeping six, which have been sustainably built using locally sourced timber. Take in the relaxing and beautiful countryside of Mid Wales, enjoy the wonderful walks, mountain bike tracks and peaceful lanes for cycling.

Luxury cottages set in the sustainably managed Trelowarren Estate with heating via a biomass boiler using wood from the estate, an ozone pool, tap water fed by the estate’s springs and delicious local foods served at an award winning restaurant.

Rooms: 6xDouble, 50xTwin/Double, 13xDouble Sofabed, 3xDouble Bunk

Price:

7 days Low Season range: £450 for 4-6 people, £950 for 8-10 people. High Season range: £1660 for 4-6 people to £2650 for 8-10 people

A small yurt camp on the edge of Bodmin Moor that provides a relaxing and comfortable retreat in the Cornish countryside. All three yurts have their own secluded spot, beautifully and luxuriously furnished, with double beds and woodburning stove.

Rooms: 1 x 16ft yurt, 1 x 18ft yurt, 1 x 20ft yurt

Price:

Between £335 and £650 per week epending on yurt and season. Contact directly for short stay prices, only available in low/mid season.

Two comfy cottages on a 220-acre working organic farm in the heart of the splendid Brecon Beacons National Park. There's fresh spring water, home produced organic meat and eggs. Great for walks and bike rides in outstanding countryside.

Enjoy breathtaking views of the Welsh landscape from the unique Coach House at Mandinam, an ancient building retaining original features with all the comforts you'd expect. Savour the tasty breakfast, much of it homemade or from the working farm.

An old stone coach-house on a 70-acre farm with half a mile of seashore. Cosy for 1 or 2 people, but can sleep 8. Offgrid, so a real change of lifestyle - it's fun living without the energy companies! Children, pets welcome. Wonderful for retreats.

Three award winning luxury self catering cottages surrounded by farmland in Northumberland, an area famed for its outstanding natural beauty. Great for visiting its breathtaking beaches and stunning nature reserves or unwinding in the great outdoors.

Rooms: 5: 3 doubles, 2 twins

Price:

£650 per week, Short Breaks £422.50 for the first 3 nights and then £91.00 per night.

A fantastic collection of 7 cottages nestled in the Churnet Valley, part of the beautiful Staffordshire Peak District. Wander the labyrinth of footpaths through picturesque woodlands and meadows and admire the views over Caldon Canal.

Little Goonreeve Farm holiday cottages welcome you to indulge in as little or as much tranquil country life as you wish. Our two peaceful cottages are located to the west of the village of Mylor Bridge, situated within our small-holding.

Rooms: 6 rooms over two cottages - sleeps 10.

Price:

The Granite Barn (sleeps 6) £1170- £450. weekends available out of season. The Old Farm Cottage (sleeps 4) £842- £322. Weekends also available.

Live the Good Life at Upper Middle Road Farm. Tucked into a green hillside between near Brecon is this old wheelwright's cottage where owners Karen and Danny offer pretty B&B rooms, organic gardening tips and delicious homemade Bara Brith on arrival

This is a unique place to stay. A spacious Shepherd's Hut, Gypsy Van, Cabin or Bluebell Wagon in a beautiful location in a truly scenic areas of Wales, it is for the outdoor person who likes a bit of comfort. Posh camping at it's most enjoyable.

Enjoy peaceful escapism in lyrical Monmouthshire countryside in the foothills of the Black Mountains. This vintage Romany caravan is a perfect little Bow Top, with a pull-out double bed, and a fantastic cabin with a kitchen, shower, bath and veranda.

A fantastic, family-run historic house surrounded by beautiful gardens in the Cornish countryside. Meet a wide variety of friendly farm animals and enjoy home cooked meals made using ingredients sourced from the walled kitchen garden.

A beautiful, authentic and organic farmhouse in a quiet and idyllic spot in the unspoilt north of the island. The renovated house offers very comfortable and originally decorated apartments with garden access.

Choose between two medieval cottages for a truly rural Welsh farmland experience. With direct access to cycling trails and rugged mountainous landscape, there is plenty to keep you busy in the surrounding hills.

An eco chic holiday home that's full of indulgence whilst being as sustainable as possible. A cosy and peaceful hidden gem in the Eden Valley with wild and beautiful countryside, nestled between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.

Stay in a recently refurbished, traditional cookhouse (or 'cegin') on a working farm in the rolling countryside of West Wales and enjoy a warm welcome, buckets of historic character and even a four poster bed.

This B&B or self-catering farm holiday is most definitely for young families - you can only stay at this wonderful 500-year-old working farm if you have at least one child under 5. Expect a relaxing environment for parents, babies and toddlers.

Rooms: 3 ensuite family rooms in farmhouse, 2 x 4 bed selfcatering

Price:

from £715 for 4 nights, £935 for 7 nights B&B; from £625 7 nights self-catering, special breaks also available

Stay in one of ten double rooms in a historic manor house updated with all modern comforts. Swim in the natural pool in the organic garden which provides fruit and vegetables for all the self-catering guests.

Low Parkamoor is an idyllic off-grid farmhouse in the Lake District, the perfect retreat from modern living and a fabulous eco experience. It offers stunning views over Coniston Water and the Old Man mountain in a remarkable and rare location.

A gem of a country house B&B with stunning views of the Vale of Llangollen, characterful rooms, delicious home-grown breakfasts and extensive gardens. Just 2 mins from the bustling market town of Llangollen. Great for groups.

Combines all the beauty of Wild Camping on the Norfolk coast with all the creature comforts of home in a stunning unspoilt location without a chimney pot in sight. Terrific for beach days, bike rides, nature walks and climbing.

Secret Meadows, set in a beautiful County Wildlife Site with wildflower meadows & woodland, has special finishing touches & high-end accommodation taking glamping to new heights. All profits go to the nature conservation charity which owns the site.

Choose from 3 characterful cottages set on a small, organic Scottish Estate in a scenic coastal area bulging with birds & other wildlife; enjoy the woodland, riverside, Victorian walled & landscaped gardens - or just dog walk for miles from the door.

These fully furnished 16ft canvas yurts are set in a lovely apple orchard just a few minutes from the beach on the Isle of Wight. From solar showers to woodburning stoves, this yurt camp prides itself on being both green and luxurious.

Rooms: 5 yurts,16ft diameter,each sleeps up to 5 people

Price:

7 night stays from £345 to £595,2 night weekends from £220 to £295,4 night midweek breaks from £175 to £295.Full prices on Search & Book page of our website.

Latest reviewed accommodation

"This really is a room with a view. Wake up in the morning and open the front door of this restored stone farm building, and you look straight out over the undulating valleys of Carmarthenshire's Towy Valley."

Reviewed by:

Scaife Hall Farm

Enjoy a stay on a working farm, far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The 600-acre Scaife Farm in Washburn Valley has amazing moor views and great walking right on the doorstep. There are three rooms and a guest lounge with log fires and tons of information on the local area. The hearty breakfasts have won awards – with free-range eggs from the farm’s hens naturally, sausage, bacon and black pudding often from home-reared pigs and Heather honey from the farm too, of course.

St Georges Court

St George’s Court is a family home and 20-acre working farm (look out for the pigs and the children’s sheep) in Grantley, just outside Ripon. The five en-suite rooms have a cottagey feel and are set round a courtyard, each with its own front door. Besides all the great local walks and adventures to be had nearby, guests can try a spot of fly fishing in the farm’s lake. The breakfasts are up there with the best and will set you up for the day.

Feather Down Camping – Warren Farm

Even those usually averse to sleeping under canvas might be persuaded to bed down for the night at Feather Down Farm. This is camping of a different sort: there’s just the one (huge) tent - no noisy neighbours - which is divided into five 'rooms', with wooden floors, a big family dining table, a cosy log burner and lanterns dotted around. Set high up on a cliffside with sweeping views, you are surrounded by meadows and bleating sheep. There’s an honesty shop with all the essentials and a fire pit outside for marshmallow toasting – it truly is a kids’ paradise. There are bikes to borrow, chickens to adopt for the week (yes, really!), and luxury foodie hampers and veg boxes for your arrival, should you so desire!